Global pay-TV subscribers reach 969 million

254 million additional pay-TV subscribers signed up between 2010 and 2016

By James Groves
, Jun 12, 2017

Total global pay-TV subscribers have now reached 969 million, according to the latest Digital TV Research report.

According to the Global Pay-TV Subscriber Databook, 254 million additional pay-TV subscribers (up by 35 per cent) signed up between 2010 and 2016 to take the global total to 969 million.

Digital cable TV created the most additions by platform – at 256 million between 2010 and 2016. However, analogue cable TV lost 218 million subscribers. There were 76 million extra subs for IPTV to nearly quintuple its total. Satellite TV added 77 million and pay-DTT gained five million.

Digital pay-TV rocketed from 380 million subscribers in 2010 onto 852 million at end-2016.

The report found that Asia Pacific is the world’s largest pay-TV subscriber region; contributing 60 per cent to the global total. China supplies about a third of the world’s pay-TV subscribers, with 313 million by end-2016.